


Saturday at 8

by shamarmon



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: 5 Times, 5+1 Things, F/F, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Wingman Phichit Chulanont
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-01
Updated: 2017-05-01
Packaged: 2018-10-22 09:20:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10694067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shamarmon/pseuds/shamarmon
Summary: Phichit has gained quite a reputation for being a good wingman, and he uses his skills to help his Detroit rinkmates and the visiting Russian team, who are all hopeless by themselves.Or, alternatively: 5 times Phichit was the best wingman ever (and 1 time he wasn’t)





	Saturday at 8

**Author's Note:**

  * For [](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts).



> This fic is for [flights_of_fantasy](http://archiveofourown.org/users/flights_of_fantasy/pseuds/flights_of_fantasy) as part of the [Shall We Skate!!! Exchange.](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/shallweskateexchange) I hope everyone enjoys reading this, but mostly them <3

**One**

Celestino clapped his hands to signal the end of practice, and motioned his skaters over to the edge of the rink. “Tomorrow, the Russian skaters will be here, so please be on your best behavior, yes?”

Yuuri frowned at his coach. “What do you mean, Russian skaters?”

“Didn’t I mention it?” Celestino asked. 

“I think you forgot,” Phichit said with a laugh. 

“Well, that’s fine,” Celestino said. “It’s not a big deal. There’s a ‘Cultural Exchange Program’ that’s being implemented this summer to encourage good international sportsmanship.”

“I bet that’s not the only thing that will be exchanged,” Chris said with a wink. 

“As long as it’s not Italy, I’m fine,” Sara said, crossing her arms. “I ran away from my brother, so I can’t put it past him to run right back to me.”

“That seems like kinda a big deal,” Phichit muttered to Yuuri, who nodded in agreement. “How could he forget something so important?”

Luckily, Celestino was used to his skaters’ antics, so he continued without losing steam. “Coach Yakov and his skaters will be at practice tomorrow! We’ll have to give up some space, but international relations are worthwhile anyway, no?” No one bothered answering him as he continued on, “They’ll use the other rink for the first half of practice while we stay on this rink, and then for the other half we’ll all share the space equally and mix up who goes where.”

Yuuri started pulling on Phichit’s sleeve. “Russia,” he whispered. “As in, the country that Victor Nikiforov is from?”

Phichit giggled. “You would be the one to know, wouldn’t you, Yuuri?”

Yuuri frowned at him, then turned to Celestino. “Ciao Ciao, do you know which skaters Yakov is bringing with him?”

Celestino thought for a moment, then started listing off names on his fingers. “Let’s see: Georgi Popovich, Mila Babicheva, and Yuri Plisetsky.”

Yuuri breathed a sigh of relief. 

“Oh, and Victor Nikiforov, of course!” Celestino added. “That’s all four of them!”

Yuuri froze, his fingers tightly gripping Phichit’s sleeve. “Oh no,” he whispered.

Phichit sighed and patted his hand. Of course Yuuri would freak out about Victor coming, as he had the Biggest Crush of All Time on Victor. Their apartment was practically covered in posters of him, and Yuuri had idolized him for years. 

“It’ll be okay,” Phichit said, squeezing Yuuri’s hand. “You’re thinking about it too much.”

That night, after they got back to their apartment, Yuuri paced around the living room. 

“Come on, Yuuri, calm down,” Phichit urged. “Would holding Arthur help?” he asked, brandishing his favorite hamster. 

“No,” Yuuri said, turning to keep pacing.

Phichit clicked his tongue at him until Yuuri sighed and made eye contact. “Of course it would help,” Yuuri admitted, holding out his hands to accept the large hamster.

“Good,” Phichit said, patting the couch next to him. “Sit down, relax, cuddle with Arthur. There’s nothing that that can’t fix.”

Yuuri nodded and settled in next to him, slowly stroking the hamster’s fur. After a few minutes, Phichit asked, “Better?”

Yuuri shrugged. “I guess,” he said. 

“It’s okay to be nervous about meeting Victor for the first time,” Phichit said, patting Yuuri’s arm. “You’ve idolized him for a long time, and you want to make a good first impression, right?”

Yuuri gave him a small nod, his eyes fixed on the Victor poster on the other side of the room. 

“You’ll be fine,” Phichit reassured him. “Just be yourself! All of us at the rink like you for being you, so Victor will like you, too!”

Yuuri just hummed, so Phichit decided to leave it at that for the moment. “Make sure you get some sleep,” he said, getting up to go to bed. “And put Arthur back when you’re done.” He gave Yuuri a last squeeze on the arm before going to his room. 

The next morning at practice, Phichit could see how nervous Yuuri was by how often he was stumbling on the ice. However, he figured that it might be better for Yuuri to get it all out now when the Russians were at the other rink. Eventually it was time for them to start practicing together, and Yuuri was practically vibrating with nerves. 

Celestino called everyone over to the edge of the rink. “Alright, I’ll send two of you over to the Russian side, and they’ll send two back. We’ll change up who goes every day. It’ll give you a chance to learn from some different coaching styles, or at least that’s what the committee told me.” He shrugged and continued, “It’s just the summer, so as long as you don’t injure yourselves, I’m really not worried about what goes on.” He opened his mouth to speak again, when Phichit interrupted him. 

“Yuuri and I will go!” he volunteered, ignoring the betrayed look Yuuri shot him. 

“Great!” Celestino said, clapping his hands together. “Gather your things and head over to the other rink, and just meet me back here at the end of practice.”

“Will do, Ciao Ciao!” Phichit said, dragging Yuuri off the ice to grab their bags. 

“Phichit!” Yuuri hissed. “What are you doing?”

“I want you to just meet Victor and get it over with,” Phichit explained. “Then the worst of it will be over, and a beautiful friendship can bloom! Or, you know, something else,” he trailed off as Yuuri playfully punched his arm. 

“Whatever,” Yuuri muttered, “let’s get it over with, then.” He put on his blade guards and marched to the door, Phichit hurrying to follow. 

They made it to the other rink quickly and found the gruff looking Russian coach berating his skaters at the edge of the rink. They all looked bored, despite his yelling. 

The coach, Yakov, held his head in his hands and took a deep breath. “Georgi, Mila, just go over there before my blood pressure rises any further,” he growled. 

“Yes, Coach Yakov,” Mila said with an easy smile, moving to grab her blade guards. At that point, everyone noticed that Phichit and Yuuri were standing nearby. 

Yakov sighed. “Come here, you two. You can’t possibly be any more of a headache than my own skaters, so welcome. Ah, but I guess this is your rink, so thanks for having us.”

“Uh, thanks, or you're welcome, or both,” Phichit said, smiling at him. “I’m Phichit Chulanont, and this is Yuuri Katsuki.”

Victor stepped forward with a huge grin on his face. “Nice to meet you. I’m Victor Nikiforov, and this is Georgi Popovich, Mila Babicheva, Yuri Plisetsky, and our brilliant coach Yakov Feltsman.”

Yakov just groaned. “Don’t make me send you away, too, Vitya!”

Victor patted his head. “Don’t worry about a thing.”

“That’s not reassuring to me. At all.” Yakov said. 

Phichit and Yuuri exchanged a look, then waited patiently until Mila and Georgi left them alone with Victor, Yuri, and Yakov. 

“Get warmed up again,” Yakov grunted, moving to the stands and clutching his head. 

Yuuri and Phichit took off their skate guards and joined the other Russian skaters on the ice. “They aren’t quite what I expected,” Yuuri whispered as the two of them skated around the edge of the rink. 

“Me neither,” Phichit said back. “They’re a little more… Crazy?”

Yuuri giggled and nodded. “Not as intimidating as I thought they’d be,” he said.

“Even Victor?” Phichit asked with a wink. 

Yuuri blushed. “Even Victor,” he said.

As if on cue, Victor yelled, “Yuuri!”

“Yes?” Both Yuris said, turning towards him. 

“Whoa, that’s gonna get confusing,” Victor said, putting his hands on his hips. “I meant the American Yuuri, but I’ll start calling you,” he pointed to the Russian Yuri, “Yurio for now.”

“What?” Yurio screeched. “Why do I need a nickname? He’s the imposter!”

“Imposter?” Victor said. “I don’t follow, Yurio.”

“That’s not my name!”

“Please be quiet, Yurio, I’m trying to meet the other skaters,” Victor said, dismissing him as he skated towards Yuuri and Phichit. “Yuuri! We meet at last! I'm a _huge_ fan of your skating! It’s so nice to meet you!”

Yuuri could only stare at him, so Phichit said, “You already said that.”

“Oh, did I? I guess I’m just very, very happy to meet you,” Victor said, throwing a wink in Yuuri’s direction. When Yuuri didn’t react, Phichit gave him a light elbow to the ribs. 

“Oh! Um, you too. I mean, it’s nice to meet you. Too.” Yuuri stammered out. 

“I hope we’ll be seeing a lot of each other now,” Victor said, still completely focused on Yuuri. 

“Uh, yeah,” Yuuri said, blushing. 

“If you have time to flirt, you’re warmed up!” Yakov yelled from the stands. “Vitya, I want to see that quad flip landed successfully three times in a row!” 

Victor groaned, but waved at his coach to acknowledge him. “Well, I’ll see you later, Yuuri,” he said, giving him a final smile. 

“Yup, bye, Victor,” Phichit said with a wave.

“Oh, Phichit,” Victor said, blinking and finally looking at him. “Right, yeah, bye.”

He skated away, and Yuuri stared at his retreating form. “Oh my god, Yuuri,” Phichit said, throwing an arm around his shoulder. “I can’t believe Victor Nikiforov is flirting with you!”

“What?!” Yuuri asked, jolting in surprise. “He wasn’t flirting!”

Phichit rolled his eyes. _“Sure_ he wasn’t. Even his coach called him out on it. He hardly even noticed I was here! And he said he was your fan! Victor is totally into you! Oh my god!”

“No, he’s not,” Yuuri hissed. “That’s impossible.”

“If you say so,” Phichit said. “Come on, let’s start practicing so that poor Yakov doesn’t have to yell at us. You can still help me with my step sequences, right?”

Yuuri finally smiled. “Only if you help me with mine!”

The rest of practice passed relatively smoothly, and everyone seemed to keep to themselves for the most part. When it was time to go home, Yakov sent them back to Celestino before Victor had a chance to say anything else. Honestly, Phichit was a little grateful, because he didn’t have all day to watch Victor flirt with his roommate. 

Sara and Chris were staring at them expectantly. “So? How did it go with Victor?” Chris asked, wiggling his eyebrows. 

Yuuri blushed and didn't say anything, but Phichit gave him a thumbs up. 

The next day, Sunday, was free, so Phichit and Yuuri stayed in together to binge Netflix. Phichit did his best not to mention Victor all day, but he was already formulating a plan to help his clueless best friend get together with the obviously interested Victor. If he knew Yuuri as well as he thought he did, he also knew that Yuuri would rather die than make the first move.

Towards the end of Monday’s practice, Phichit casually skated towards Victor, who was leaning on the boards and trying very hard not to stare at Yuuri’s ass as he skated around, focused on his spins. Victor was not succeeding. 

Phichit coughed, and Victor jumped. “Oh, um, hey, Phichit,” he said, blushing slightly. 

_At least he looks a little embarrassed about it,_ Phichit thought. “We’re all going out for breakfast after this, if you and your teammates want to come,” he said. 

Victor blinked at him, then glanced at the clock on the wall. “Breakfast?” he asked. 

“Yeah, breakfast,” Phichit said, still serious.

“It’s almost 5pm,” Victor said. 

Phichit raised an eyebrow. “Is that a no?”

“No!” Victor said quickly. “I mean, yes! I’d love to! I mean, we’d love to! Do you have the address?”

“Yeah,” Phichit replied with a smile. “Give me your number and I’ll text it to you.” He whipped out his phone and handed it to Victor, who tapped in his contact information. “We’ll see you soon, then!” Victor said, waving as he and Yurio gathered their bags to go back to Yakov. 

Yuuri skid to a stop next to him. “And just what were you two talking about?” he asked, his eyes narrow. 

“Nothing!” Phichit said, throwing his hands up. “I was just inviting them to our weekly Monday breakfast!”

Yuuri gasped. “What? No!”

“You don’t want him there?” Phichit asked, smirking. 

“No, I do,” Yuuri said, blushing immediately. “It’s just…”

“You’ll be fine,” Phichit said, clapping him on the back. “Come on, let’s get our shoes on. I could kill for a waffle right now.”

Phichit, Yuuri, Chris, and Sara walked to the Ram’s Horn right next to the rink and got their normal large table by the window. A few minutes after they sat down, they saw the Russian skaters come in the front door. Phichit waved them down, taking special care to motion for Victor to take the empty seat next to Yuuri. 

Once everyone was settled and introduced, Phichit launched into a quick history of their Monday night breakfasts at the Ram’s Horn, “a time honored tradition going back many years.” After he was satisfied that everyone was caught up, they all discussed the diner’s best items (which varied immensely depending on who you asked). 

Yuuri initially looked out of his element, but eventually he lightened up and even laughed at some of Victor’s jokes. Victor rarely looked away from Yuuri, so Phichit took it upon himself to entertain everyone else at the table. After the waitress took their orders, everyone passed their phones around to get each other’s numbers, and Yuuri gingerly held his phone after Victor passed it back to him. Phichit was sure that Yuuri was silently freaking out over the fact that he finally had his idol’s number, but if Phichit had his way, they would have way more than each other’s numbers soon enough. 

“We also go to the pool right around here on Thursdays,” Phichit said, “I take it you guys packed some swimsuits since it's summer?”

“Yes!” Victor practically yelled. He turned to Yuuri. “Will you be there?”

Yuuri blushed, but maintained eye contact. “Yeah, I always am.”

“Then I definitely will,” Victor vowed, his eyes sparkling. 

Phichit smiled at the two of them from across the table. When he got Yuuri alone later that night, he finally asked what had been on his mind for days, “So, are you gonna ask Victor out?” _It's worth a shot, right?_ he thought. 

Yuuri froze, one hand still in the hamster cage. “What? No, don’t be crazy.”

Phichit sighed. “Come on, Yuuri! He’s obviously crazy about you! He barely took his eyes off you once during breakfast!”

Yuuri shook his head as he fished around for a hamster. “No, I don’t think so. He couldn’t possibly like me.”

“But you like him,” Phichit said. 

Yuuri turned away a bit more, so Phichit was willing to bet that he was hiding a blush. “I mean, yeah, who wouldn’t?” Yuuri asked. 

“So you’re just not gonna do anything?” Phichit said. 

“Sounds good to me,” Yuuri said. 

“You’re hopeless,” Phichit groaned. “Fine, if you won’t spend your time with Victor, will you at least spend it with me? There’s a really nice Italian restaurant I want to try. They have ballroom dancing on the weekends!”

Yuuri shook his head, finally pulling Arthur out. “I don’t think so.”

“Come on, Yuuri!” Phichit pleaded. “I can’t go ballroom dancing by myself! And it’s supposed to have really good food, too! You know I don’t like to eat by myself!”

Yuuri rolled his eyes, but finally gave him a small nod. “Fine, okay. You’re lucky I’m such a good friend,” he said teasingly. 

Phichit just grinned. “Of course,” he said. 

The next few days of training passed smoothly, and Phichit only grew more certain that Yuuri and Victor were completely infatuated with each other, even if neither would make the first move. (Not that Victor wasn't obviously flirting with him at all times, but Yuuri needed something a bit more concrete to finally get that Victor was interested.) Phichit wasn’t sure who was blushing more on Thursday when they went swimming: Yuuri or Victor. Both of them couldn’t look the other in the eye when they were shirtless, but neither of them were shy about looking at everything else. 

On Friday, when Yuuri was in the bathroom, Phichit asked Victor the same thing he already asked Yuuri, with some slight modifications. He made up a story about how Yuuri was busy and Phichit really wanted to go out dancing on Saturday to practice for another date, and Victor was nice enough to agree. 

Finally, the big day arrived and Phichit helped Yuuri pick out an outfit. “I don’t get it,” Yuuri said, holding up shirts in front of the mirror. “It’s just us two, who am I trying to impress?”

“You never know,” Phichit said, shrugging. 

Yuuri glared at him. “You’re not scheming anything, are you?”

Phichit laughed. “Me? Scheming? Yuuri, please, be realistic.”

“I am, that’s why I asked you if you were scheming,” Yuuri said. 

“Nothing bad,” Phichit promised. 

Yuuri narrowed his eyes. “That’s not a no.”

Phichit just pointed to the light blue shirt and ran to his own room to get ready. He didn’t really need to look that nice, so he just threw on the first dress clothes he could find. 

They took a bus to the restaurant, and Phichit quickly ushered them inside. Yuuri started to move to the host stand, but Phichit stopped him. “What’s the rush? I haven’t even told you about the place yet,” he said. 

Yuuri frowned. “What’s there to say?”

“Well, it’s Italian,” Phichit started. “And they have ballroom dancing on the weekends!”

“I know,” Yuuri said slowly. “You already said that, and you made me wear comfortable shoes for dancing.”

“Still, it’s worth mentioning again, right?” Phichit asked. 

“Is it?” Yuuri said. “Wait, you seem like you’re stalling. Why are you stalling?”

Phichit quickly tried to think of an excuse, when he heard the door open behind him and someone call, “Phichit! Oh,” in a Russian accent. 

Yuuri froze and his eyes widened almost comically. “Ah, because I also invited Victor?” Phichit said, shrugging. 

“Phichit,” Yuuri whispered. “Oh my god, you didn’t…”

“Um, hey,” Victor said, waving to Yuuri. “I didn’t know you’d be here, too, this is...”

“Horrible, I know, I’ll leave,” Yuuri started to say, but Victor grabbed his arm. 

“Wonderful, it’s wonderful,” Victor corrected with a large smile. “I’m very glad you’re here.”

“Oh. Um, me too. I’m also glad I’m here. Wait, that you’re here,” Yuuri mumbled, a blush rapidly spreading across his face. 

“Great! Everything’s wonderful!” Phichit said, clapping his hands. “Let’s go check in with the host and get that table,” he said, leading them towards the dining area. 

A tired looking man with black hair up in a ponytail away from a chiseled face smiled at them, and asked, “Do you have a reservation?”

“Yes, table for three. Chulanont,” Phichit replied with a big smile. 

The host ducked down to his sheet, then frowned at it. He glanced up at them, then back down at the sheet. “Um, I’m sorry, there must be some sort of mistake. We only have a reservation for two under that name.”

Phichit mock-gasped. “What? Are you sure?”

“I’m sorry sir,” the host said, “But it’s not a big deal, we can add another chair to your table…”

“Did you hear that, Yuuri?” Phichit asked. “Add another chair? I can’t ask that of him!”

The host blinked at him. “It’s not hard, really. It's actually a table for four, so there's plenty of space.”

“No, I know how hard your job is,” Phichit said, placing a hand over his heart. “I wouldn’t _dare_ dream of making your job an inconvenience because of my mistake. We’ll take the table for two.” He reluctantly turned away from the hot host to look at Victor and Yuuri blinking in confusion. “You two eat, and I’ll just go home.”

“What?!” Yuuri asked, grabbing his arm. “What are you talking about? He’ll just add another chair!”

“And didn’t you need to practice your ballroom dancing?” Victor asked.

“Don’t worry about me, you two have a nice evening,” Phichit said, already turning towards the door. “I’ll see you later, Yuuri! Don’t stay out too late!” He threw a final wink over his shoulder and walked out the door, immediately booking it to the nearest bus stop. Luckily, a bus was already pulling up, and he hopped on. _That went perfectly,_ he thought with a smile. _Yuuri, you can thank me later._

When he got home, he put on a movie and kicked back on the couch. His eyelids grew heavy halfway through, and he must have fallen asleep, because suddenly he heard the click of the lock opening and the TV was off. He sat up and watched Yuuri come in. “So? How was your date?” Phichit asked, smiling. 

Yuuri glared at him. “It wasn’t a date. It was a setup.”

Phichit shrugged. “Date, setup, regardless, how was it?” 

“It was good,” Yuuri said slowly, collapsing next to him on the couch. “But it really wasn’t a date.” When Phichit opened his mouth to protest, Yuuri raised a hand to silence him. “I would know, because we’re going out on a real date next weekend.”

Phichit gasped, but this one was real. “What?!” He jumped off the couch and stared at Yuuri. “Really?!”

“Yeah,” Yuuri said, blushing a little. “He asked me out.”

“That’s great!” Phichit said. “I’m so happy for you, Yuuri! And see, I _told_ you he liked you!”

“You were right,” Yuuri said with a nod and a sigh. “Thanks for setting us up, or whatever.”

Phichit grinned and sat back down on the couch. “No problem! Wingman Phichit, at your service.”

* * *

**Two**

Phichit enjoyed exactly one day of peace before being thrown back into the craziness that was his life now. If he thought that Victor was shamelessly interested in Yuuri before, he was even more intense now that they were actually dating. Celestino and Yakov both grumbled all week about separating the two of them, but neither actually did anything about how Victor would practically glue himself to Yuuri’s hip whenever they shared the rink. 

Even more surprising to Phichit was how much Yuuri seemed to enjoy the attention. Of course he still sputtered and blushed, but he never told Victor to stop or pushed him away. Instead, Yuuri was smiling more often than not as Victor would babble on about whatever crossed his mind and skate circles around him or drag him around the ice by the hand.

Phichit happily watched the two of them laugh over whispered secrets, oblivious to the other skaters dodging them to actually practice their routines. While he didn't doubt his own skills as a wingman, Phichit was pleased to see that he could still succeed. And he tried not to think about the fact that these practices were technically open and a few people were always sitting in the stands, watching the PDA. If Yuuri and Victor didn't mind, he shouldn't, either. 

They all went to breakfast again that day, and Victor and Yuuri were even more sweet and touchy when not skating. They sat next to each other at the table again and barely noticed anyone else as they whispered and talked the whole meal. 

About halfway through the meal, Phichit looked up from his plate of scrambled eggs and saw something very interesting. Mila asked for the salt, and Sara passed it to her, their fingers brushing each other as the shaker was passed. Both of their faces immediately turned firetruck red, and they mumbled thanks and stared at their plates, pushing the food around. 

Phichit thoughtfully watched the exchange. Quickly he decided that Yuuri didn't have to be the only one he helped out. But first, he knew he had some research to do.

The next day at practice, he split himself up from Yuuri (which included splitting himself up from Victor, too, by default) so that he could skate with Sara, Mila, and Georgi. Celestino had the look of a man who had given up on life, which Phichit could definitely relate to, because after being in Georgi’s presence for only a few minutes he already wanted to shake him until he stopped crying and wailing about Anya. Phichit sympathized with him, because being dumped from overseas sucked, but at the same time, this was practice and semi-public.

Phichit, Sara, and Mila gave Georgi a wide berth as they practiced their spins. Phichit tried to stay by himself and stealthily observe Mila and Sara’s interactions. While neither of them was as obvious as Victor was, which wasn't surprising, it didn't take Phichit long to conclude that they were definitely into each other. Mila laughed at most things that Sara said, and while Sara was funny, she wasn't _that_ funny. When Sara brushed back Mila’s hair away after it got in her face following a particularly fast spin, Phichit knew that there was definitely something between them. 

When Celestino gave them a break, Phichit pulled Sara aside. “So, you and Mila?” he quietly asked with a wink.

Sara squeaked and spilled water down the front of her shirt. “What?!” she whispered, glaring at him. “No way! That's not possible.”

“Why not? She's obviously into you,” Phichit said.

Sara sighed. “I wish. But she's definitely not.”

Phichit rolled his eyes. “She _definitely_ is. I watched you guys just now, and there's something there.”

Sara gazed wistfully across the rink to Mila, who was clapping Georgi on the shoulder and attempting to cheer him up. “That's a nice thought, Phichit. But it's just not possible, okay?”

“Okay,” Phichit admitted, holding his hands up. “Forget I said anything.” He waited for a moment, then said, “How are you liking your stay in Detroit?”

“It's nice!” Sara said with a small smile. “Mostly, I'm just happy to be away from Mickey for a little bit. I love him, but he can be a bit overbearing.”

Phichit laughed. “Yeah, I figure. How's the food here compared to Italy?”

Sara wrinkled her nose. “It's not _bad_ ,” she said. “I just really miss the food from back home.”

“I feel the same way about Thai food,” Phichit said, patting her hand in solidarity. “But once you find a restaurant that tastes like home, you feel better! Hey!” he said, snapping his fingers as if the thought was just coming to him instead of being part of a carefully laid out plan. “I recently read an article about this place, the Roma Cafe. It's supposedly the oldest Italian restaurant in Detroit! Do you wanna go with me this weekend? I bet it'll be good.”

Sara’s eyes lit up. “Oh, that would be wonderful, thank you!” she said. 

“Great, how about Saturday at 8? I'll make us a reservation,” Phichit offered. 

“Sounds good to me! I'll see you then,” Sara said as Celestino shoved them back onto the ice to keep practicing. 

Phichit caught Mila after practice. “Hey, I've got a kinda weird favor to ask you,” he said. 

She narrowed her eyes at him. “What kind of weird?”

“Just odd, nothing _weird_ weird,” he said to reassure her. 

“Oh, okay,” she said with a sigh of relief. “Sure thing. What is it?”

“I had a date on Saturday with this really nice guy, but he just told me his mom’s coming into town that day so he has to bail,” Phichit said. 

“Ouch. That sucks, sorry,” Mila said. 

“It's fine,” Phichit said. “I was just kinda looking forward to going to the restaurant, and it was hard to get the reservation so I feel bad cancelling it. Could you maybe come with me?”

She looked at him a little suspiciously again. “I don't see why not, but why ask me of all people?”

_Shit. Think, Phichit!_ “Oh, um, well you see, it's a reservation for two, and I can't very well split up the newest international super couple, can I?” he said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. “And I want to get to know you guys better while you're here, but I'm kinda scared of Yurio and Georgi.”

Mila barked out a laugh at that and thumped him on the shoulder. “Say no more! Yes, Yura can be a little intimidating, but he's nice once you get to know him! But a nice restaurant one on one is not the way, and Georgi would just cry about Anya the whole time. So sure, I'll go with you.”

“Thanks!” Phichit said with a smile. “Saturday at 8? I'll text you the address.”

Phichit made it through the week and was eventually getting dressed for dinner on Saturday. 

Yuuri peeked into his room and saw him wearing nice clothes. “What's with the outfit?” he asked. 

“I'm, uh, going out to dinner,” Phichit said, tucking in his shirt.

Yuuri came in and plopped down on Phichit’s bed. “With who?”

“Uhhhhh, you know. Hey, did you need something from me?” Phichit asked, trying to change the subject.

“Don't change the subject,” Yuuri warned. _Damn._ “You're being suspicious.”

“Ah, well, if you must know, Sara and Mila.”

“Oh, okay,” Yuuri said with a smile. “See, that wasn't so… Wait.” Phichit closed his eyes and grimaced. “The last time you went out to dinner with two other people was me and Victor, and that was a setup!” Yuuri exclaimed. “Oh my god, you're setting them up!”

“Guilty,” Phichit said with a shrug.

Yuuri was silent for a moment, then he breathed a sigh of relief. “Well, I guess you know what you're doing,” Yuuri said with a shrug of his own. “I mean, you got me and Victor together, and I thought that was impossible, so go for it, I guess.” 

Phichit smiled at him. “I'm glad you think I should. But, while you're here, how are things with Victor?”

Yuuri’s blush was immediate. “Oh, um, good, I guess.”

“Just good?” Phichit asked. 

“Okay, fine, he's pretty great,” Yuuri said with a huff, covering his face with his hands. “It's just hard to believe we’re, like, actually dating!”

“I can imagine,” Phichit said. “You've been in love with him for years!”

Yuuri glared at him from through his fingers. “I've had a _crush_ on him for years!” he corrected. “Love is a very different thing.”

“Okay, okay,” Phichit said. “Say, weren't you guys going on a date this weekend?”

“Yeah. We’re just gonna grab some ramen, though,” Yuuri said. 

“Well, good luck!” Phichit said, giving him a mock salute. “I need to go be a matchmaker.”

Yuuri saluted him back. “Good luck to you, too!” he said with a laugh.

Phichit took the bus to the restaurant and waited inside for whoever showed up first. Sara came in a few minutes after him, and he waved her over to his bench. “Can you watch my jacket while I use the bathroom?” he asked, not waiting for her to reply before dashing to the nearby restroom.

He texted Mila, “Can you let me know when you're close?” so that he could hopefully be present to defuse the situation he was throwing them into. After a few minutes he got a response of, “Here.”

Phichit frowned. It wasn't much warning. In fact, it was no warning at all. He sighed and walked out of the bathroom and saw Mila and Sara both staring at him, hands on their hips.

“Care to explain?” Mila asked. 

“Oh yes. I'd love to hear this,” Sara said. 

Phichit grinned sheepishly. “Did I forget to mention that all three of us would be eating together?”

“Yes,” both women said in unison. 

Phichit grimaced. “Okay, okay, sorry for not telling you. But let’s go eat?” he said, pointing to the hostess stand. Luckily, they decided to follow him and not ask any more questions (for the moment).

A woman with short black hair smiled at them. “Name?” she asked. 

“Chulanont. Table for three,” Phichit answered with an easy smile.

The hostess glanced down at her sheet, then frowned. “Ah, I'm sorry, we only have a reservation for two under that name.”

Phichit held his hands up to his face in mock horror. “Oh no! What can we do!”

“We’re pretty booked right now,” she explained. “I could normally make it work, but…”

“No need,” Phichit said. “We’ll take the table for two. Mila, Sara, you eat, I’ll go home.”

Both women glared at him. “I don't buy this, Chulanont,” Sara said, shaking her finger at him. “This has ‘you’ written all over it.”

He shrugged and smiled. “I mean, unless you'd rather I send Mila home?”

“No!” they both said loudly before blushing.

“I mean, I don't want to _not_ eat dinner with her,” Mila offered. 

Sara’s blush deepened and she mumbled something. 

“What's that?” Phichit asked. 

“I said I'd be fine eating with Mila,” Sara said, staring at the floor. 

“Great! Well, have a nice time, you two,” Phichit said, waving as he walked out the door. He caught a glimpse of the very confused hostess leading the two of them to their table and he smiled to himself.

* * *

**Three**

The next Monday Phichit found himself picking between which couple to skate with: Yuuri and Victor, or Sara and Mila. He ended up choosing Mila and Sara, if only to see the fruits of his labor.

The two of them were glued together at the hip, just like Yuuri and Victor. The only difference was that they were both focused enough on practice to actually skate, unlike Victor who could only focus on Yuuri and ended up hurting their practice way more than helping. 

Phichit smiled as he watched the two of them perform jumps for each other and critique their technique, every so often whispering into each other’s ears. In his unbiased opinion, he thought that they made a very cute couple. When Celestino gave everyone a break, Sara and Mila skated to either side of Phichit on the boards. 

“We didn’t get to thank you yet,” Mila said with a smile. 

“Yeah, if you weren’t completely obnoxious we probably wouldn’t be dating right now,” Sara said, nodding.

“What?! You’re dating? I hadn’t noticed,” Phichit said, grinning at them. 

Mila huffed and knocked shoulders with him. “Well, whatever. Thanks for that.”

“No problem, I’m good at it,” Phichit said. 

“Back to practice!” Celestino yelled. 

Everyone met up as usual for Monday night breakfast, and Phichit decided to sit next to Chris, who was perpetually sighing and pushing his runny egg all around his plate. “Look at them,” Chris muttered darkly, waving his messy fork at the table. “All of these couples, so happy.”

“Whoa, what’s with the gloomy mood?” Phichit asked. He glanced over, and was struck by how lovey-dovey the four dating skaters were acting. 

“I’m just extremely single,” Chris said with a heavy sigh. “I was kinda hoping to pick up a hot American boyfriend here, but no such luck.”

Phichit perked up at that. “Has anyone caught your eye?”

Chris rolled his eyes. “Yeah, but I don’t think he knows that I exist.”

Phichit almost snorted. “No offense, but you’re kinda hard to miss.”

“I know, right?” Chris asked, slamming his hands down on the table. “I’ve been turning up the sex appeal during practice to 11, and he still hasn’t approached me!” 

Phichit shivered and took a minute to be grateful that he was currently practicing with Sara and not Chris. Not Chris wasn’t sexy, but Phichit couldn’t imagine that his antics would be conducive to practicing. “Have you tried, I don’t know, actually talking to him?”

Chris shook his head. “No.”

Phichit waited for more, but apparently Chris had nothing else to say on the matter. “Okay,” Phichit said slowly. “How about you _try_ talking to him?”

“Thanks but no thanks,” Chris said. “That’s not my style. I like to be more dramatic in my endeavors. I’ll seduce him with my skating before the summer is over,” he said with a grin. “Besides, the true nature of all of my choreography is to seduce, so it's good practice, no?”

Phichit sighed but nodded. If Chris wasn’t willing to make the (normal person) effort, maybe he could help out a little. He didn’t wait long to start formulating a plan. 

The next day at practice, he took a strategic bathroom break to peak on Yakov’s skaters, and sure enough Chris was over exaggerating every hip sway and lean. Phichit gulped and again was thankful that he didn’t have to try to practice around that spectacle. Yuuri and Victor hardly seemed to notice, and Yurio was just trying hard not to look like an abandoned puppy because no one was paying any attention to him. 

It didn’t take long for Phichit to spot the man that Chris was probably talking about, seeing as there were only two people watching the practice. There was a pretty girl in the stands, but Phichit knew he could safely ignore her if Chris was involved, which left the man with medium length brown hair who was standing in the shadow of the bleachers, his chin in his hand. 

Phichit sidled up to him and hummed. “How about those moves?” he asked as nonchalantly as possible. 

The man blinked in surprise, then his face melted into a smile and he held out a hand. “Oh, hello. My name is Alex Thompson, and I’m a local choreographer. You must be Phichit Chulanont.” Then it was Phichit’s turn to blink in surprise, which made the man laugh. “Sorry, sorry, you probably weren’t expecting me to know who you are. I promise I’m not a stalker! I’ve been watching all of the open practices to get some more inspiration for my routines.”

“Oh, that makes sense, and I’m glad you’re not a stalker,” Phichit said, finally smiling at him. “Nice to meet you!”

“You, too,” Alex said, redirecting his stare to the rink. “That’s Christophe Giacometti, right?” he asked, pointing to Chris, who was currently practicing a hip sway that Phichit could only hope wasn’t part of his actual choreography for next season. 

“Yeah, he’s pretty impressive, right?” Phichit said. He was pleasantly surprised that Chris was coming up so soon in the conversation. 

Alex nodded. “I don’t know what it is about him, but the way he moves on the ice… It’s so visually… Appealing? Inviting?”

“Yeah, totally,” Phichit said. _I would use “erotic,” instead, but Alex makes it sound better,_ he thought. 

“Are you friends with him?” Alex asked suddenly. “I want to learn more about his skating style and what he’s thinking when he’s performing, I think it would really help my choreography.”

Phichit grinned. _I’m sure that’s not all it would help._ “Sure, we’re good friends! Do you want me to give you his number?”

Alex blushed and shook his head quickly. “Ah, no, that’s not necessary!” he said quickly. “I would probably just make a fool of myself,” he muttered, looking down at the floor. 

Phichit nodded knowingly. At least he knew the seduction was working, but Alex was just too shy to initiate. “Well, I can definitely meet with you to talk about it!” he offered. 

Alex’s eyes lit up. “Oh, that would be great, thank you!”

Phichit tapped his chin in thought. “How about we make a meal out of it? I’ve always wanted to go to the London Chop House?”

Alex nodded enthusiastically. “I love that place! It’s my favorite restaurant in Detroit! I’m really big into old movies, and for some reason, that place always makes me feel at home. Ah, sorry, I’m probably oversharing.”

_The more he talks, the more I feel he weirdly complements Chris,_ Phichit thought. He clapped his hands. “Don’t worry about it. And wow! What a lucky guess, then!” he said, carefully averting his eyes from the “London Chop House” burlap bag slung over Alex’s arm. “How about this Saturday at 8?”

“That sounds perfect, thanks! Oh, here, let me give you my number,” Alex said, taking Phichit’s phone when offered. 

When Phichit got his phone back, he looked at the time and almost jumped. “Crap! I’ve been gone way too long for a bathroom break! I’ll text you!” he promised, running the other direction. Alex waved goodbye, then resumed watching Chris, who hadn’t noticed the interaction. 

The next day, Phichit skated over to Chris at their first break of the morning. “Are you still hung up on that mystery guy?” he asked between his sips of water. 

Chris sighed dramatically. “Yes! I can’t get him to notice me!”

Phichit tried not to roll his eyes. “Well, since you just confirmed that you’re still single, want to hang out this weekend?”

“That’s not nice,” Chris said with a mock frown. 

“Hey, I’m single, too!” Phichit said, throwing his hands up. “We have to stick together! I’m always around Yuuri and Victor or Sara and Mila! And Yurio is 15 and Georgi is still kinda a train wreck.”

Chris pursed his lips. “I guess you’re right. What did you have in mind?”

“How about a nice dinner out? Just the two of us?” Phichit asked. “It’ll give us a chance to get to know each other better, and we’ll be free from the constant couples!”

“That sounds nice,” Chris said with a smile. “Okay, I’m in.”

“Great!” Phichit said, patting his shoulder. “London Chop House, this Saturday at 8?”

Phichit barely made it through the week without bursting from excitement and nervousness. He was very sure that the other two couples he made matches for were already into each other, but he had never actually seen Chris and Alex interact. He had a feeling that it would either be a disaster or a perfect match right away. 

When Saturday finally came, he was halfway out the door when Yuuri called out to him. “Where are you going?” he asked. 

“Oh, out to dinner with a friend,” Phichit said easily.

“Do you want me to feed your hamsters?” Yuuri asked. 

“I won’t be gone long,” Phichit said with a wink. 

Yuuri sighed but nodded. “Another busy Saturday for you, I see.”

“Yup!” Phichit said, waving. “Well, I gotta go, or I’ll be late! See you soon!”

“Good luck!” Yuuri yelled before the door shut.

Phichit fiddled with his phone the whole way to the restaurant on the bus, and when he got there, he paced around the block a few times to work off some of his nervous energy. He was still a few minutes early, but he finally walked in through the door and was surprised to see Chris already waiting. 

“You look nice,” Phichit said as a greeting. 

Chris looked up from his phone and smiled. “You, too. Come on, let’s go get that table and start drinking.”

Phichit grimaced. “Ah, actually, we should wait. There’s one more person coming.”

“There is?” Chris asked. “I thought it was just us.” He narrowed his eyes at Phichit. “I swear, you better not have invited one of the couples…”

“No, no!” Phichit said. “Definitely not.”

“Well? Then who is it?” Chris asked.

“Um, it’s a surprise?” Phichit said weakly. 

Chris narrowed his eyes further. “Why do I have a bad feeling about this?”

“You shouldn’t! They should be here soon, so let’s just wait,” Phichit said, sitting down next to him. 

Chris looked like he was going to question Phichit further, but he just sighed and continued scrolling through his phone. 

They didn’t have to wait long, as Phichit got a text from Alex saying that he was only a minute away. He nervously stared at the front door, and Chris finally noticed and started watching, too.

Phichit didn’t miss the sharp intake of breath at his side when Alex strode in, wearing a handsome but still casual suit (and he pulled it off, too). “Hey, Phichit!” he called, then he froze when he saw Chris. “Um, and Chris is here, too,” he said, slowly closing the distance between them. “Ah, sorry, I’m Alex. Alex Thompson. Choreographer.”

Chris bolted to standing and took Alex’s proffered hand, then raised it to his lips for a delicate kiss. “Enchanté,” he said with a small smile, causing Alex to start blushing profusely. After the two of them stared at each other for a few seconds, Chris released Alex’s hand and looked to Phichit. “Is this our dinner guest?” he asked.

Phichit smiled and nodded. “Well, now that we’re all here, let’s go eat!” He led them to the hostess stand, already apologizing profusely in his head to the poor woman working there. 

After the usual act, he left the two of them alone in the restaurant and went back home to Yuuri and his hamsters, deciding that he had had enough excitement for the week.

* * *

**Four**

For the mixed practice on Monday, Phichit decided to go with Chris to the Russian side, leaving the two couples with Celestino, which he only felt a little bad about. 

Chris’s choreography was still ridiculously sexual, but it was actually way more subtle than the last time Phichit had watched, and he smiled to see that Alex was still watching, but this time actually sitting in the stands instead of hiding in the shadows.

Phichit also definitely saw the two of them exchanging heartfelt looks whenever possible, so he took a moment to pat himself on the back before attempting to turn his attention back to practice. However, he found himself unable to concentrate. Getting to know the other skaters was really fun, and he wanted to learn more about Georgi and Yurio while they were here. However, Yurio still scared him a bit, so he turned to Georgi, who was looking significantly more put together now than when his breakup with Anya was still fresh. No one had found him in the bathroom crying to Natasha Bedingfield in days!

Phichit skated over to him at the first water break. “Hey, Georgi, how are you doing today?”

Georgi sighed around a mouthful of water. “One does not simply suffer a heartbreak like this easily, but I'm doing what I can to be better every day,” he said solemnly.

“Okay,” Phichit said slowly. _Was it too late to go talk to Yurio?_ He glanced to his other side where the teenager was angrily muttering something about “knife shoes” and “King JJ” while forcefully tapping out something on his phone, and Phichit decided to stay right where he was. “Well, you don't need her, anyway,” he said, but Georgi didn't seem to be listening anymore.

Phichit followed his gaze to the bleachers where there was a pretty young blonde woman watching their conversation intensely, even though she was too far away to hear what they were saying. 

“Who's she?” Phichit whispered. 

Georgi turned to look at him, his eyes wide and a blush rapidly spreading across his face. “What?! How would I know?” 

Phichit shrugged as nonchalantly as possible. “No reason, I just recognize her from watching our practices a lot, and you were staring at her.”

“I wasn’t staring!” Georgi said, his blush increasing. 

“Okay, okay,” Phichit agreed. “You weren’t.” _He definitely was._ “Do you know who she is?” 

“No,” Georgi said. “I just know she comes here a lot to watch us practice.”

Phichit nodded thoughtfully, and then their break was over. He stealthily paid special attention to the girl during practice, but it didn't matter how stealthy he was. While she was definitely there to watch, she only seemed to have eyes for one person on the ice: Georgi. By the end of practice, Phichit was already formulating a plan to help them out (because at this point he couldn’t stop himself).

As soon as Yakov dismissed them for the day, Phichit changed out of his skates and ran over to the girl. Luckily, she didn't seem like she was in any hurry to leave, so he was able to catch her easily. “Hi!” he said, waving in what he hoped would be seen as a friendly and not creepy manner. “I've seen you around a lot.” _So much for not being creepy._

She blinked at him in surprise, then smiled and waved back. “Hello! It's nice to meet you. My name is Natalya Petrova. You’re a skater, right?” she said with a heavy Russian accent. 

Phichit tried not to grin too widely at her name. “That’s right, I'm Phichit Chulanont. Say, you wouldn't happen to be Russian, would you?”

She gave him a blank look. “No. What gave you that idea?”

“Oh my god I'm so sorry I didn't mean to…” Phichit began rambling, but she laughed and held up her hands. 

“Sorry, sorry! I probably shouldn't joke with people I've just met. Yes, I'm very, very Russian,” she said. “I'm actually here to watch the Russian team.”

“Ah, I thought so,” Phichit said, smiling at her. He liked her already. “Um, pardon me if this is too forward, but is there any one skater _in particular_ that you're here to see?”

Natalya laughed again and rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. “Am I that obvious?”

“I'm just very observant about these kind of things,” he said, trying to put her at ease. “If it helps, Georgi has definitely noticed you, too.” _Probably because you’re about as subtle as he is._

Natalya blushed immediately. “Oh my,” she said. “I don't have the faintest idea of what to do about that.”

“I could introduce you?” Phichit offered. “We’re friends.”

“Could you really? That would be wonderful!” she said, her eyes almost sparkling. 

“How about tomorrow after practice? Right here,” Phichit said. 

“That sounds great! I'm looking forward to it,” she said with a smile.

They said goodbye and Phichit went to catch up with everyone else so they could go to breakfast. 

Later that night, at their apartment, Phichit decided to ask Yuuri for help. 

“What?” Yuuri asked, looking up from his phone in confusion. “You want me to help you with your plotting?”

Phichit sighed as he stuck his hand in the hamster cage and pulled out Arthur. “It's not _plotting,_ it's _matchmaking,_ you act like what I'm doing is nefarious.”

“That's because it _is_ nefarious,” Yuuri argued. 

“So you didn't want to date Victor?” Phichit said. 

“What?! No! I wanted to!” Yuuri said, blushing slightly. 

Phichit flopped onto the couch, carefully keeping Arthur cradled in his hands. “See? What's the problem?” 

Yuuri shrugged. “I don't know, I guess there really isn't one if they like each other. But you don't know that they do!”

“I think they do,” Phichit said, stroking Arthur’s fur. “And I'll find out tomorrow when I set my plot into motion.”

“See! You're using the word ‘plot!’ That's nefarious!” Yuuri cried, pointing at him.

“Whatever, just help me, please?” Phichit asked. 

With a sigh, Yuuri nodded. 

As soon as practice was over the next day, Phichit practically flew to Georgi’s side. “Hey, buddy,” Phichit said, “Can you come with me for a minute?”

Georgi’s eyes narrowed immediately. “Why?”

“Because I said so, now smile,” Phichit hissed, dragging him to the stands. “Natalya!” he yelled, waving at her where she was sitting a few feet away. 

“What,” Georgi said, freezing as soon as he saw her. “Why.”

“Come on, she's nice,” Phichit said, pulling him forward. “She already likes you, so it'll be hard to mess this up, maybe even impossible.” He successfully brought Georgi to her and they shook hands. Both of them looked so nervous that they might spontaneously combust. “Natalya, this is Georgi. Georgi, Natalya.” He looked expectantly between the two of them, but they were frozen, hands still clasped. Phichit cleared his throat and they both blinked and jerked their hands back, blushing. 

“Ah, it's nice to finally meet you, Georgi,” Natalya said. “I've been a fan of the Russian skating team for years.”

Georgi nodded and averted his gaze. “Then you must really be looking forward to meeting Victor.”

“Not really,” she said, then her eyes widened and she threw her hands over her mouth. “I mean! Not that I don't want to meet him, but…” she trailed off, then took a deep breath and continued. “You've always been my favorite skater on the team.”

Georgi’s blush deepened, and he met her eyes. “Thank you,” he said.

They just stared at each other for almost a minute before Phichit couldn't take it anymore. “Natalya, Georgi, why don't you two join me and Yuuri for dinner? Then we can all get to know each other better.”

They both nodded and Phichit smiled. “Have you heard of Iridescence? It's a nice restaurant that has a great view of the city. We can all meet there, how about Saturday at 8?” When everyone agreed, he and Georgi waved goodbye to Natalya and rejoined the rest of the skaters. 

Once they were out of earshot, Georgi heaved a huge sigh. “She is as beautiful and radiant as the sun, and I'm blinded in her presence.”

Phichit clapped on the shoulder. “Okay, then. Whatever you say. Just don't get nervous about this. It's not a date, just dinner with me and Yuuri, right?”

“You're right,” Georgi said, clenching his fist. “It’s nothing to worry about.”

Phichit had the distinct sense that Georgi would worry anyway, so it was good that he didn't know the real plan. 

The rest of the week passed quickly, and on Saturday night, Phichit helped Yuuri pick out his clothes again. “I can't believe you're making me complicit in this scheme,” Yuuri sighed as he held up two shirts in the mirror.

Phichit smiled at him from the bed. “You know, Yuuri, you have a really impressive English vocabulary.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere, Chulanont.”

“Especially when you're mad,” Phichit added with a laugh. “Come on, it'll be fun!”

“What's fun about setting up two people on a surprise, ambush date, then leaving without even eating?” Yuuri asked, holding up the other shirt. 

“Well when you put it like that, nothing,” Phichit said. “I'll buy you ramen afterward?”

“Sold,” Yuuri agreed. “And I'm going with the purple shirt.”

“But I like the blue one!” Phichit whined. 

“Exactly.”

They took the bus to the restaurant and only beat Georgi and Natalya there by a minute. After exchanging greetings, they all took the elevator to the 16th floor together. Phichit could cut the awkward tension with a knife, so he was very ready to get the two hopeful lovers alone. He confidently strode up to the host stand and made quick work of sending Georgi and Natalya to the table alone and taking Yuuri back with him.

“I can't believe you feel so comfortable with people,” Yuuri said in awe as they rode the elevator back down. 

“What can I say, I have a talent,” Phichit said. “Now, let's go get that ramen! I'm starving.” As they exited the building, he thought, _Georgi, you'll thank me later. Hopefully._

* * *

**Five**

The text he got from Georgi the next morning verified that he did the right thing setting them up, and he patted himself on the back for a job well done before deciding to take a break from matchmaking. The last pair had been a little stressful, and he was done meddling in other people’s business.

Of course, the moment he decided this, it was like a higher being decided to tempt him. During morning practice on Monday the door to the rink opened and a woman with short black hair walked in. Celestino practically beamed and waved her over. None of the other skaters seemed to notice, and Phichit was sure he’d seen her here before, but he couldn’t help but stare as if it was the first time he was seeing her and Celestino interact. The woman laughed a lot and casually touched Celestino’s arm a few times, eventually handing over a paper bag before walking away with a bright smile and wave.

Phichit skated over to him and placed his chin on the boards. “Ciao Ciao,” he said, “who’s your girlfriend?”

Celestino coughed and spun around to look at him. “Phichit. Oh. I didn’t see you there.” Phichit just raised his eyebrows and gestured to the bag in Celestino’s hand. “Oh! No, Sherry isn’t my girlfriend,” he said, his face flushing. “She’s just a friend.”

“Just a friend that laughs at your terrible jokes, touches you a lot, and brings you lunch?” Phichit asked with a smile.

“It’s not what it looks like,” Celestino said quickly. “Her niece takes lessons here. And she makes an _amazing_ potato salad, so she brings some by when she makes extra.” 

“I bet she does,” Phichit said. “And it makes sense that she’s here now, to drop off her niece at skating lessons,” he said, gesturing to the currently private rink. 

“Look here,” Celestino said, waving his finger at him. “Don’t get the wrong idea!”

“Oh, she’s married?” Phichit said, making a face.

“No, she’s divorced,” Celestino said.

“Oh, okay, great. Did she tell you that?” Phichit asked.

Celestino thought for a moment. “Yes, a few times.”

Phichit sighed. “Ciao Ciao, she’s hitting on you. Making it obvious that she’s single, being touchy and flirty? She likes you!”

Celestino blushed a little deeper. “That’s not possible, and besides, I think it’s time for you to get back to practice.”

Sensing that he wasn’t going to get anywhere, Phichit skated away to keep working on his jumps, but he didn’t stop thinking about Celestino and Sherry. _What’s the harm in one more?_ he thought. 

By the next day, he had a plan ready. All he needed was for Sherry to stop by again. And if the way they acted together was any indicator, it would be soon. Luckily for him, she came in again on Wednesday. As soon as he saw her opening the door, he left for a bathroom break. He waited by the door to their rink for them to finish their conversation, trying not to think about the physical torment Celestino could inflict on him with extra training if he caught wind of Phichit’s meddling. 

Eventually Sherry came back out and Phichit waved her over. “I’m one of Celestino’s skaters,” he said as an introduction. “He wanted me to give you something, because he’s so shy.”

“He is, isn’t he?” she said with a chuckle. “Luckily, he’s cute.” She blushed, and then quickly added, “Don’t tell him I said that, sorry.”

“No problem,” Phichit said with a grin. “Well, here you go.” He handed her a small piece of paper. 

She quickly read it, then smiled. “Great! Tell him I’ll see him Saturday at 8, then.” She waved as she left, and Phichit ran back to practice. Thankfully, Ciao Ciao didn’t notice that he had been gone for way too long, and he continued working on his jumps. 

That night, he called the restaurant to make a reservation. He thought Mario’s would be a good place to set them up. It's Italian food, which gave Celestino something to talk about, and they could even go ballroom dancing after dinner! He only had to wait a few rings before a voice picked up and said, “This is Carlos at Mario’s, how can I help you?”

“I’d like to make a reservation for two, please,” Phichit said. “This Saturday at 8.”

“Okay,” Carlos said, rustling some papers around. “We have an opening! What name will this be under?”

“Chulanont,” Phichit replied easily. There was a long silence. “Um, are you still there? Do you need me to spell it?” 

“Oh, I know how to spell it,” Carlos said slowly and carefully. “Say, are you sure I shouldn’t put this reservation down for three people?”

Phichit swallowed, then nervously laughed. “Oh, so, uh, you remember me, I take it?”

“You made it pretty hard to forget,” Carlos said, but he sounded a little friendlier than before, which Phichit was incredibly thankful for. “That was quite the spectacle last time.”

“Ah, what can I say? That’s just the kind of person I am,” Phichit said, slapping his forehead. He was ready to apologize and hang up when Carlos sighed. 

“I’ll make it for two people,” he said, “but I’m working that night, so I better get a tip, alright?”

Phichit breathed a sigh of relief. “Definitely! And thank you so much!” He hung up and took a few deep breaths to calm his heart rate down. He certainly hadn’t thought twice about pulling the same stunt at the same restaurant, but he was glad that it looked like it was going to work out. 

The next day at the pool after practice, he told Yuuri, and by extension Victor, about the incident. 

Victor smiled. “You’re bringing them to Mario’s? Where you set me and Yuuri up?”

Phichit nodded. “I totally forgot that they might remember me there! Luckily the hot host was pretty chill about it.”

“What was their name again?” Yuuri asked from his position on Victor’s lap. 

“Sherry,” Phichit said. 

“No, no,” Yuuri said, shaking his head. “The hot host.”

“Oh, his name is Carlos,” Phichit said before blinking. “Wait, hot? Did I say that?”

“You don’t think he is?” Yuuri said, leaning forward so far that Victor had to grab his waist to keep him from falling over.

“Of course I think he was hot,” Phichit said, leaning back and away from Yuuri. “You saw his hair. And his face. But I don’t see what that has to do with the situation at hand. You know, setting up Ciao Ciao.”

“You’re right,” Yuuri said, leaning back into Victor’s chest. “He’s so dense, right?”

“You’re one to talk,” Victor said, pecking him on the cheek. “I was flirting with you for _ages_ before you noticed!”

Yuuri pecked him on the lips. “I don’t remember you asking me out, though. My wonderful best friend had to step in.”

Victor smiled, then leaned in for a longer kiss. “Lucky us,” he murmured. Yuuri nodded and kissed him again. 

“Hi?” Phichit tried, but they didn’t notice him at all. “Alright, bye,” he said, off to look for someone that wouldn’t be too busy kissing to talk to him. _Better steer clear of Sara and Mila then. Maybe Yurio will go off the diving board with me._

Phichit eagerly waited for Saturday night to come and practically skipped to the restaurant. He told himself that he was only excited for Celestino and Sherry’s date, not to see Carlos the hot host. When he arrived, he suddenly got nervous and decided to wait outside, out of view of the host stand. 

Phichit only had a few minutes of self-denial to experience before Celestino showed up, too. “It was nice of you to offer to take me to dinner,” he said. “We can talk about your Grand Prix programs and plans.”

“Um, yeah, definitely,” Phichit said, glancing at his phone nervously. 

“Is something wrong?” Celestino asked.

“Hopefully not,” Phichit said with a smile that only grew as he saw Sherry walking towards them. He waved and Celestino turned to see who he was looking at, then he whipped around and glared at Phichit. “You have some explaining to do,” he said slowly.

Phichit just laughed and prayed for his muscles next practice. “Let’s just go eat,” he said, motioning to the door. He dragged them inside before Sherry could ask why there was another person also attending their date. 

Phichit approached the host stand and was both nervous and excited to see that Carlos was indeed working. “Chulanont, table for three,” he said, throwing in a confident wink that he didn’t feel. 

Carlos immediately ducked his head low to check the book of names and tables. After a minute, he looked up and sighed. “I’m sorry, sir, but we only have a reservation for two with that name.”

Sherry glanced around. “A table for two makes sense to me, because this is a date, right? So why is he here?” she asked, pointing to Phichit. 

Celestino blinked. “A date?” He glared at Phichit, who just smiled awkwardly. 

“Yeah, a date, remember, coach?” he asked. “You were so excited! And you’re shy, so that’s why you had me ask her out for you and walk you here?”

“I did?” Celestino asked, before realization crossed his face. “Ah, right, I’m shy,” he repeated slowly. “And this is a date.” 

Phichit nodded and waved at all of them. “Okay, well, I’ll take my leave!” He slipped a $20 bill to Carlos and scurried out of the restaurant before the night could get any crazier. Once he was on the street, he took a few deep breaths and started walking to the bus stop. 

As soon as he got home, he collapsed on the couch next to Victor and Yuuri, who sprung apart as if they had been burned, their hair tousled. “How did it go?” Yuuri squeaked, grabbing the remote to change away from the infomercial that they obviously hadn’t been watching. 

“Okay, I think,” Phichit said with a sigh. “It was just stressful because Carlos recognized me.”

“Carlos,” Victor repeated. “The hot host?”

“You both seem really hung up on that,” Phichit said. “I can find people attractive, right?”

“Of course you can!” Yuuri said quickly. “You just don’t usually comment on it.”

Phichit was about to respond when he felt his phone buzz. His stomach sank when he saw that it was from Ciao Ciao. He steeled himself, then read the message. “Thanks,” was all it said, and he sighed in relief. Another text came in right after, and this one said, “But you’re still doing jumps all day Monday.” He groaned and covered his face with his hands.

* * *

**Plus One**

On Monday night, Yuuri was kind enough to help Phichit care for his poor feet, as he was the sorest he had been since the end of last season. “Was it worth it?” Yuuri asked as he brought him Arthur to hold. 

“Maybe,” Phichit said, eagerly taking the hamster. “It depends.”

“On what?”

“On if I survive the night,” Phichit said. 

Yuuri laughed. “I’m sure you’ll make it,” he said. “Just rest for now.”

“Gladly,” Phichit said, settling down further into the couch. 

The rest of the week was easier, as Celestino seemed to be happier about his new girlfriend than mad about his meddling student. When Saturday finally came, Phichit was ready to finally spend the night in. Apparently, though, Yuuri had other plans. 

“Phichit, come with us!” Yuuri urged. “We haven’t been out a lot, just the three of us. You, me, and Victor.”

“So I’ll be the third wheel,” Phichit muttered crossly, not ready to get off the couch when he had just sat down. 

Yuuri frowned at him. “It’s your first Saturday night off from your crazy wingman shenanigans since the Russian team came here, right? Let’s do something other than sit around!”

“Who are you and what have you done with my best friend,” Phichit muttered. 

“Very funny,” Yuuri said. “And Victor already made a reservation for 8, so you’re coming. Pick out something nice to wear.”

Phichit groaned. “It’s just you two! Who do I have to impress?”

“You never know,” Yuuri said with a shrug.

“If I didn’t know you better, I’d think you’re scheming,” Phichit said, but he got up to get dressed. 

“Well, luckily, you know me pretty well. So you know I don’t scheme, unlike a certain someone,” Yuuri called. “We’re leaving in 10 minutes!”

Phichit reluctantly put on a nice pair of pants and a nice shirt, then ran a hand through his hair and met Yuuri at the door. Victor got on the bus a few minutes after them, and Phichit tried to not feel miserable about the evening when it was obvious that Yuuri was making an effort to include him. Phichit was perfectly happy being single, but it would have been easier if the two of them could keep their hands off each other for more than a minute. 

Thankfully, they arrived at the restaurant relatively quickly, and Phichit moved towards the hostess stand when Victor stopped him. 

“What’s up?” Phichit asked, looking between the two of them, finally noticing how nervous Yuuri looked. “Yuuri,” he said, immediately targeting the weakest link. “What did you two plan?”

“Nothing!” Yuuri squeaked. “Nothing’s going on! Why would you think that?”

Victor smiled widely. “Exactly, nothing odd here!”

“Okay,” Phichit said slowly. “Then let’s go get our table.”

“Why not wait a few minutes and enjoy ourselves?” Victor asked, sweeping a hand to the side, gesturing to the very normal waiting area. 

“I don’t know what you’re doing, but I don’t like it,” Phichit said with a frown. 

“You’ll love it,” Victor said with a wink. “Oh, never mind, let’s get that table, you’re right,” he said suddenly, dragging them to the hostess stand. “Table for four, Nikiforov,” he told the hostess with a dazzling smile. 

“Four?” Phichit asked. “There’s only three of us…” he trailed off before realizing what was happening. With a sigh, he turned around and saw Carlos walking towards them. “You didn’t,” he hissed at Yuuri and Victor. Both of them just shrugged as the hostess looked up with an apologetic smile. 

“I’m sorry, sir, we only have a reservation for two under that name. Would you like me to move your table?”

“That’s not necessary!” Victor said grandly. “I wouldn’t want to trouble you. We’ll take the table for two for my friends here,” he said, pointing at Carlos, who was now standing next to him, and Phichit. 

“Okay,” the hostess said, blinking in confusion. “If you’re sure, then. Follow me, sirs,” she said, gathering menus. 

Phichit sighed, but Carlos just laughed and clapped him on the back. “Can’t take your own medicine?” he asked. 

“I thought orchestrating it was stressful, but being on this end is even worse,” Phichit admitted with a chuckle. 

“Well, I think what you do for your friends is really nice,” Carlos said. “And your friends here,” he said, gesturing to a still-smiling Victor and a bashful Yuuri, “were really helpful in letting me know exactly what it is your antics accomplish. Plus, I’m gonna need to know more about you for all the stories I tell about your legendary matchmaking. So, how about it? Trust your friends and have dinner with me?”

Phichit smiled. “Sure.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I adore Phichit so this was really fun to write! If you also love Phichit, check out the universe-hopping fic “The Omni-Phichit” [here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10416936/chapters/23003205) by me and Ray! Phichit wakes up one morning to find he has attained full sentience. He is then forced through his own personal hell of living through different genres of fanfiction, and the only way to move on is to get Yuuri and Victor together. Luckily, he is the (multi) universe’s greatest wingman! 
> 
> I’ve also written a long and finished multi-chapter [Babysitting AU](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9226067/chapters/20923982) and a few one-offs! Also, I’m writing the first chapter of another long multi-chapter AU, but the AU is a secret (unless you pay attention to my Lenny faces on tumblr lol). The chapters are taking forever to write, so I may post a few long previews on tumblr before I officially post it!
> 
> Thank you to Nicole and [NonDairyRay](http://archiveofourown.org/users/NonDairyRay/pseuds/NonDairyRay) for beta-ing!
> 
> Finally, you can find me on [tumblr](http://captainjazzband.tumblr.com/)


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